Exodus 32:27 Then he said to them, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Each man strap a sword to his side. Go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbor.’”
In the military, especially the Special Operations units, they are assigned some very difficult missions. Danger does not adequately express what it will take to succeed. They know on each mission that it might be their last. Their families might be getting one of those uniformed visitors knocking at their door with bad news. And yet they still go on the mission.
But some missions are even more difficult to perform, not because of the danger of the battle itself, but because of the personal connection to the targets of the attack. When troops are called on to capture and kill their own family members, that is at a whole different level of difficult.
During the American Civil War, this happened. Families were divided by geography and ended up fighting on opposite sides of that bloody conflict. They would unknowingly be fighting each other from opposing positions. It might only be after the battle that the realization came that they had been fighting their own family.
So, as we read our text for today, this is an even more difficult mission. The scene is this. Moses has been on the Mountain receiving the terms of the Covenant with the LORD. The people have gotten impatient, and Aaron, Moses’ brother, has yielded to the pressure and made a golden idol before which they began worshiping, breaking the first two of the top ten.
Moses has come down to witness this unholy party and he isn’t happy. And neither is the LORD. Destruction and a new start is the proposal that the LORD makes to Moses. “Let’s wipe the slate clean and start a new batch of cupcakes. Moses, you will be the starting ingredient. I will turn you into a new nation after I have cleaned up this mess.” (I’ve been watching the Great British Bakeoff. Can you tell?)
But Moses steps up and intervenes. The LORD responds to the obedient heart of Moses, and then goes on to test to see if the Levites will be obedient as well. And this is where the mission gets very difficult. This is where faith gets severely tested.
I think this is how it happened. The Levites are told to go throughout the camp and kill those who stand up against them. Those who present themselves as opposition will be killed. Those who hide, ran away, cowered in fear, they didn’t end up dead that day. Those bent on continuing in idolatry would stand up and oppose the Levites, and they would be killed.
How would you like to have been one of those Levites, having to carry out justice against your own relatives? Definitely a test in loyalty to the LORD. It was also a demonstration of the faithfulness and fidelity of the Levites. Would they do as they were commanded?
Let’s be honest for a moment. Would you have been there with sword strapped to your side? Would you have been one who would stand up in opposition to the attack? Would you have been one running and hiding for you life? How sold out to the LORD are you?
There are certain segments of our society that are rushing to a civil war. May I suggest that you get on the LORD’s side. None of the sides in this possible civil war are the LORD’s side. Running and hiding might be the best option. Stand and defend righteousness, but make sure it is righteousness that is being defended. Nothing short of that is worthy of your life.
The Arnold Journey 